NNPCL, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, has been urged to revive the dormant Enugu depot by the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, the largest Igbo sociocultural organization.
Following the sad event at the Ugwuonyeama portion of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, which lost more than 20 lives, the call was made.
There were reports of a fuel-laden tanker losing control, smashing many cars, and then catching fire.
Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council Worldwide, told reporters in a statement on Monday that the number of deaths was tragic.
It served as a sobering reminder of the hazards that fuel tankers bring to the roadways and the poor quality of the majority of Nigerian roads, according to Okwu.
It was also a call to action for the NNPCL to use the Enugu facility and relieve the tension of tanker drivers, he said.
Oil traders have been pleading with the NNPCL to consider reactivating the Enugu depot, but it has been dormant for a number of years.
In addition to raising the price of fuel in our area, nobody benefits from the product’s transportation from Lagos to Port Harcourt.
“One of these preventable incidents occurred on Saturday; the fully laden car was going down the lethal hill when it lost control.
“With great fervor, we are requesting that the NNPCL immediately begin operations at the Enugu depot.”
The Federal Ministry of Works should expedite the building of the Expressway’s second lane, Okwu added, emphasizing that “the casualty figure would have been less if the lanes were in use.”
“Anything that is causing that project to be delayed should be fixed; in the public interest, the government and the contractor should work out their differences.”
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Ohanaeze teenagers prayed for God to give the accident victims’ souls eternal rest and expressed their sympathies to their families.
“That accident destroyed some families, as we know.” We can only pray that God will accept their souls at this point, even though it is devastating and we are sad. “This is excessive,” was Okwu’s lament.
